This invention relates to composition of matter in the form of (IV).sub.x (III-V).sub.1-x incorporated into heterostructures during their growth in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and methods for incorporation and more particularly in their utilization in quantum well structures as wells and barriers for semiconductor devices, e.g. semiconductor heterostructure lasers and heterostructure transistor devices.
Since the successful fabrication of III-V alloys and their utilization in p-n junction devices commencing actively in the early 1960's, there has been interest to develop more complicated alloys, such as alloys in the form of (IV).sub.x (III-V).sub.1-x. An example of this work are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,271 relating to a sputtering deposition system forming many different kinds of alloys including, e.g., (GaAs).sub.1-x Si.sub.x and (GaAs).sub.1-x Ge.sub.x. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,727 relates to the bulk alloying at high temperatures Si and GaAs to form a single phase crystalline alloy of silicon and gallium arsenide. The article of K. Kim et al., "Model for the Metastable System of Type (GaAs).sub.1-x (Ge.sub.2).sub.x ", Physical Review Letters, Volume 32, pp 1019-1026 (July 15, 1985) and the first five references cited therein relate to the studies both experimental and theoretical relating to the formation of the alloy, (Ge.sub.2).sub.x (GaAs).sub.1-x. In particular, in the article of ZhI. Alferov et al, "Preparation and Investigation of Metastable Continuous Solid Solutions in Ge-GaAs System", Soviet Phys. Semicond., Vol. 16, pp. 532-537, May, 1982, has considered (Ge.sub.2).sub.x (GaAs).sub.1-x, prepared in the more advanced techniques of MOCVD vis a vis sputtering deposition. However, no one has been able to achieve successful growth of (IV).sub.x (III-V).sub.1-x alloys in situ to form a p-n heterojunction semiconductor device.